Fundraising is a fact of life for nonprofits. There aren’t too many organizations that can do without an event or two a year. Considering the huge investment of time and energy every event must be productive.
Mainly they need to make money but they should advance your mission at the same time. I want to give you a few examples of some events that I think are spot-on.
For no particular reason there are several great jazz artists living in our town. I’ve become a big fan. (As an aside I did the promotion for the Dizzy Gillespie estate sale a couple of years ago, that’s when I met many jazz legends including Paquito d’ Rivera and my neighbor Claudio Roditi.)
Every fall we have a big event called Giants of Jazz. This annual concert benefits the town’s arts program. The arts events include a series of free summer concerts in the park (a highlight of our summer!) and a winter jazz series. In order to fund these concerts, another neighbor the premier bassist, John Lee originated the Giants of Jazz. His connections to great musicians make this a sold-out event. John always selects an elder jazz musician to honor. This makes each year’s concert special and varied – and a major attraction.
What makes this a great event:
1. It fits the mission of the organization: bringing the arts to the residents
2. Helps fund other programs throughout the year
3. Gains visibility for the town and its programs, adds value to the town
4. It is well planned and promoted
I have been involved with several organizations that have used the Benevon model to raise money by asking for pledges at an annual breakfast. The sought after five year pledges provide sustainable funding but what I really like about this way of raising money is it’s mission focus.
Following this model you introduce your organization to people throughout the year. Leading up to the annual event table captains are recruited to invite friends and associates to fill a table at the annual breakfast. You then use the one-hour breakfast as a platform to present your work in a moving, engaging format including speakers, music and video. The breakfast ends with an appeal for the pledges or contributions.
This format has many of the attributes of a good fundraiser:
1. Your efforts are focused on introducing your organization and its mission
2. Builds a circle of friends that continues to grow throughout the year
3. It results in sustainable funding
4. Provides a platform to present your organization to a large group
Catholic schools seem to have a reputation for playing basketball! Our local elementary school has taken advantage of this and presents a very profitable and popular annual basketball tournament. It is an excellent example of what a relatively small group of parent volunteers can do. The February Frenzy is held for one week and pits the participating schools against each other. Teams at each grade level have the opportunity to play. And they play before a packed gym (there is nothing like a kid’s event to attract a crowd of parents).
In addition to the admission fee fans buy food, raffle tickets and souvenirs. The grand finale is the 8th grade championship followed by an awards ceremony. This one week event supports the entire sports program for the school; that includes 2-3 sports each season including uniforms, supplies etc. at no cost to the students.
Besides being fun, this event:
1. Promotes the family-centered mission of the school
2. Funds basketball and other sports programs throughout the year
3. Is a very visible event contributing to recruitment and retention efforts
4. It is well planned and involves all school families
Use these three examples as a starting point for your own discussion of mission-based fundraising. Be creative and explore the possibilities that are unique to you.